Conventional and hybrid vehicles alike typically require a transmission to provide speed and torque conversions from the engine to another device such as a differential, for example. Lubricating fluid or oil is necessary to reduce adverse side effects of friction and maintain operability of the moving parts within the transmission. The fluid circulates throughout the transmission via a pump and collects in a pan or sump at the bottom of the transmission housing.
In a typical transmission, a drive member such as a chain transfers torque from an output shaft to a differential, where the torque is distributed to the wheels of the vehicle. As the drive member revolves and works to transfer the torque, the drive member may contact the transmission fluid collected in the pan or sump. As the drive member does so, the transmission fluid may be splashed and sprayed throughout the outer regions of the interior of the transmission housing, especially when the drive member revolves at high speeds. Baffles have been implemented in vehicles to reduce the flooding of the drive member with the transmission fluid.